Fast Times at Grimmauld Place
by quibblergirl
Summary: Some fun and fluffy times at G-Place. Lots of cute R/Hr.
1. Chapter 1

**Some fun fluffiness to pass the time...**

"Um, Ron…?"

She was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, weight shifted onto one leg, and biting her bottom lip as if she was thinking about something important.

Ron looked up from his seat at the kitchen table where he had been studying a newspaper he found here at Grimmauld Place from nearly 30 years ago. He was fascinated by it but didn't hesitate to put it aside when he heard her voice.

"Yeah?" Ron answered and then gulped. Since they had taken off on this adventure together, since they left Hogwarts really at the end of this past year, he had been increasingly unnerved in Hermione's presence. Something was happening between them, they both felt it, it was brilliant, but it also terrified him. She was just so … _Hermione_. So bright and brilliant and beautiful. Sure she was also bossy and had a low tolerance for nonsense, but in the past year she had completely lightened up. She laughed more and nagged him less in the past year. Something was definitely happening. It started last year but they decided to put things on hold once they made the commitment to join Harry on the Horcrux hunt. He admitted that he spent most of his time thinking about her and daydreaming about a time when they could be together.

"Well, I want to take a shower." She told him.

He paused and felt a wave of heat flash over his body, "Oh, okay I don't need the bathroom." He told her nervously and figured that was the end of it. But she didn't move, she continued to look as if she were thinking about something uncomfortable.

"Well, you see, I'm a bit…creeped out…you know, scared. I wondered if you would just, could you just sit outside the bathroom door while I take a shower?" she turned a deep shade of red as she asked him for this favor. He absolutely knew it pained her to admit that she was afraid and needed someone to step in and make her feel safe. He was more than happy to oblige. In fact, he was thrilled, happy to know that she saw him as her protector. He felt amazing.

"Oh, sure no problem." He told her with a smile and he swore she turned even deeper shade of red as she turned and he followed her down the hall and up the stairs to the second floor.

She held her towel tightly to her chest and she turned to thank him before closing the bathroom.

"Thanks Ron. I know it's stupid but I just, this place is just so _creepy_." she said.

"Yeah, it is, very. No problem. I'll be right here." He gave her another smile and this time he got a very shy smile from her in return. She closed the door and he leaned back against the wall next to the door, sweat beading on his forehead and his palms were balmy. He leaned his head back against the wall and tried to concentrate on the sound of her undressing on the other side of the door. He wondered if she had any idea how attracted to her he actually was now. Almost every day since he was 14 he had one random randy thought about her of some kind. If she had any idea of these thoughts, he wondered if she would allow him to be in such close proximity to her, naked and wet and in the shower. Probably not. He slid down the wall to sit as he heard the shower start.

"Ron? Are you still there?" she called out.

"Yeah, I'm here." He replied.

"Ok, good-thanks again." She said and he heard the shower curtain rings scrape against the metal bar as she opened and closed the curtain.

Ron allowed his thoughts to drift as he listened to the water running in her shower. Drifted to daydreams about the two of them together, really together. Living together and doing real grown-up couple things together. Things like going out to dinner, cooking meals together, going grocery shopping together, sleeping together, _showering_ together. He caught himself and realized all of these fantasies involved food and sex. _I am a Neanderthal_ – he thought. He wondered if she truly did feel some of the same feelings he did. He was sure she did but there was something terrifying about finding out. If the answer was no, he would be crushed. He didn't think he could handle that kind of blow. Surely she did fancy him though. All the signs were there. Even at the wedding, she blew off that wanker Viktor Krum so she could dance with Ron and she did so willingly and happily. That was huge.

After a few more minutes of daydreaming, Ron heard the water turn off.

"Ron?" she called out again.

He smiled, god she was adorable. "Yeah, I'm still here." He told her.

"Ok, good. Almost done." She said.

"Take your time." He replied.

Then he heard her gasp and scream out "Ouch! Oh!"

He jumped to his feet and without thinking he blew open the door to the bathroom. She was wrapped in her towel backed up against the shower wall and he could see it flying madly around the room in a fury, it was a doxy. He swatted at it but decided it was not a good idea to make it more angry than it already was. He tried to shoo it out the door and eventually he did so with success.

"Oh I hate those things!" she cried out. "And it bit me!"

"Are you okay?" he asked, finally allowing himself to enjoy the view of her in only a towel as she stood in the shower trying to get a look at her bite. She was straining her neck to look around to the back of her leg.

"Where is the bite? I can get the dittany?" he told her, trying to be helpful.

"Oh, it really stings!" she cried out, hands shaking, and he could see tears welling in her eyes. He kicked into gear.

"Here, Hermione, let me help. Where is the bite?" he reached out to help her step out of the shower. She took his hand with one of hers and held onto her towel tightly with the other hand. She seemed too distraught to realize that she was standing there nearly naked in front of him, with her long toned legs fully exposed and the tops of her breasts pushed up at the top of the towel. Ron felt faint but knew he needed to focus and not be a total perve right now. It was very difficult.

Suddenly, she started to giggle. Giggling, wet Hermione wrapped only in a towel. Ron's brain and body was about to explode.

"What's funny? I thought you were hurt?" he asked her confusedly.

"I am. It does sting like the devil but, oh god Ron… it bit me on my bum I think!" she continued to giggle and he couldn't help but laugh at her state. She was tearing up now for real and he could tell it was from the stinging and the giggling combined.

"I need the dittany, can you get it?" she asked through her giggling and tears. "Just grab my bag I left it in the sitting room."

He shook his head in disbelief at her as he retrieved the bag. She really was something. When he returned to the bathroom the door was closed again and he knocked gently.

"Hermione, here I have the bag."

"Wait a minute … okay, come on in." she was steadier now and still trying to look back behind her right leg to see the bite. "It's not on my bum." She got out as she outright laughed. "It's kind of at the top of my thigh in the back."

"Still stings?" he asked her.

"Yes, very much so."

"Here the dittany will help." He pointed his wand at the bag and ascended the bottle of dittany. He held it out to her.

She looked up at him with an expression he had never seen on her before. It was pouty and helpless and, he had to admit, _sexy_. He gulped again.

"Do you think you can help me with it?" she asked cautiously.

He tried to stay calm and be cool. "Oh yeah, no problem." He croaked out.

"Ok, thanks Ron. And by the way I did put my knickers on when you went to get the dittany so you're not going to see anything you shouldn't really see." She told him in a very Hermione-like tone but there was a noticeably different feeling behind it. She was being flirty. Ron's mouth began to get dry.

She turned around with her back to him and leaned forward a bit onto the sink. He really thought he would faint now. He willed himself toward her and kept his gaze on her bare shoulders and upper back for a moment. Her skin looked really smooth and tan, there was a gathering of freckles on one shoulder and he noticed a darker spot of skin on her back, just at the base of her neck. The spot was shaped a little like a heart.

"What's that?" he asked bluntly. He cursed himself for his stupid nerves.

"What's what?"

"This spot on your back, right below your neck?"

She flushed red again. "Oh, god I hate that, it's just a birthmark. My dad said they branded me at the hospital. I hate it. It's horrible. "she said sadly.

"No it's not. It's pretty cool. Like a tattoo but natural." He told her. He turned red also. He wanted to lean in and kiss it. It took everything he had not to do so. He continued to stare at her skin and study her neck and shoulders. She had pulled her hair up into a bun on top of her head so he had full view.

"Uh, Ron, my leg is stinging." She said shyly.

"Oh right, sorry!" and he snapped out of his trance and then he lowered himself down behind her, now he had an excellent view of the back of her legs. They were pretty. She had pretty legs. Very lean and nicely shaped. He desperately wanted to reach out and touch them. He then caught a glimpse of the bite, it looked pretty nasty.

"How does it look?" she asked from up above.

"What?" he was dazed.

"The bite? How does it look?" she asked again.

"Oh, well…not terrible, but not great. Here let me get the dittany on it."

He unstoppered the bottle and realized this was going to be a bit tricky. He needed her leg to be a bit flat so the dittany didn't just dribble down her leg.

"Listen, I need to lift your leg and steady it so I can apply the dittany on good okay?" he said in another croaky tone.

"Yeah, whatever." She said nonchalantly.

He took a small but deep breath then and gently lifted the injured leg with his hands. Her skin was warm and smooth and felt incredible. He moved his knee over so that he could prop her leg on his knee. She balanced herself against the sink on one leg and he squeezed a few drops of dittany onto the bite. As he watched the bite sizzle slightly and heal itself over, he felt a wave of disappointment that this experience was coming to an end. He decided to take advantage of the moment though and as he lifted her leg from his knee to place it back down on the floor, he tenderly ran both of his hands up and down her right leg as if comforting the hurt appendage. He felt her shiver but she didn't protest or tell him to stop. Her skin felt amazing in his hands. For a final bold move, before he stood, he quickly lifted the bottom of her towel from her body to get a brief glimpse of her knickers and her tight bum-they were some kind of black silky material. Ron was elated. Just when he thought he knew her so well, he realized there was so much more he wanted to learn.

He stood up quickly then looked at her from behind in the mirror. She was even redder than before. _She likes it_ – he thought and it excited him.

"All set." He said to her reflection in the mirror.

"Thanks Ron." She told him shyly.

"Anytime."

They continued to stand in and stare at each other in the mirror for a few more seconds.

"Well, I should get dressed now." She told him.

"Yeah." He agreed but did not move.

She started giggling again and turned around on him, allowing him to look down on her, direct in his line of vision were the tops of her breasts spilling out of the towel. Ron thought-_was this really happening?_

"Ok Ron, out now." She commanded in a giggly voice as she took his arm and led him out the door.

"Oh, right." He agreed again.

He stood outside the door looking in toward her as she began to close the door on him.

"Thanks again Ron." She told him in a serious tone.

"Yeah, thank you, I mean, no problem." He said. "Feel better?"

"Yes." she said smiling, "Loads."

"Good." He replied dreamily. "I'll just wait right here then."  
Hermione nodded, "Ok, then." Then she closed the door gently.

Ron rested his forehead on the closed door and allowed a giant smile to spread across his face. This was going to be a really interesting adventure.


	2. Chapter 2

Two days after the doxy-biting shower incident. Ron was feeling as awkward as ever around Hermione. He was having a difficult time concentrating on anything and was especially inattentive when she spoke. He found his mind wander back to their bathroom moment, the feel of her leg in his hands and the black knickers he caught a glimpse of that day. He could not help but wonder if she felt as awkward around him because she didn't seem too keen on scolding him for his absent-minded demeanor, it was odd that she wasn't at his throat for this behavior. On the contrary, she seemed equally distracted by her own thoughts though he couldn't convince himself that those thoughts were about him. _She's probably just nervous and worried about Harry._

It was a Wednesday morning and Harry was getting ready to head out for the Ministry. Ron heard Harry descend from upstairs (he and Hermione had taken to sleeping in the sitting room while Harry moved to a room upstairs). It was quite early, barely daylight, Harry was clearly hoping to get an early start. Ron lay on his stomach listening to Harry and Kreacher shuffle around in the kitchen. He wondered if Hermione had already woken as well. He turned his head over toward her and was gifted with a most interesting vision.

Hermione must have removed her pajama bottoms from the night before in an effort to be cool. The house at Grimmauld Place was sweltering and sleeping through the night was difficult for all of them. She had most definitely shed her pajama bottoms during the night and Ron looked over to see her lying on her side, facing him, wearing only a white vest top with little straps and pink knickers. Her blanket was kicked to the bottom of the bed, as was his own due to the heat. Ron blinked twice to be sure that the sight before him was real. It was real. She was real. He let his eyes roam up and down her sillouette which was just visible for him in the morning's dim light. He was struck by the perfect curve of her form where her waist sloped upward to her hip and then back down her thighs. He also couldn't help but notice from this distance, about six feet, and in this light, it seemed to be that Hermione had also shed her bra during the night. Therefore, if Ron allowed his eyes to move up her body, he was afforded a most excellent view of her breasts pushed together and heaving slightly up over her top.

The sight was a bit too much for Ron to handle first thing in the morning. It was difficult for him anyway, sleeping so close to her in proximity and thinking about the couple of days before. _How was he supposed to manage this turn of events?_ He felt the familiar rush of heat toward his middle and knew that he should look away to calm himself down but he could not. There were a million thoughts racing through his brain, the most prominent thought involved him crawling over to her and running his hand up and down the curve of her body. He wondered what her reaction would be. Would she hex him or punch him like she punched Malfoy that time in third year? He chuckled at the memory of that brilliant moment. Maybe, he thought, maybe she would lean into his touch and let him run his hands all up and down her soft legs and let him reach around and cup her firm...

"Hhhhmmm" she let out a soft groan.

Ron quickly shut his eyes to make sure if she did wake, he would appear to be sleeping still. He tried to quiet his own breathing which had become quick and heavy. He heard some movement from her direction and didn't dare open his eyes again. After a couple of minutes of silence, Ron felt it was safe to open eyes once more. When he did, he saw that she had rolled over facing away from him now, giving him a full view of her from behind. It as a sight to behold. Her top had pulled up quite a bit and he got a good view of her lower back and her pink knicker-clad bum was sticking out a bit as she looked to have her knees pulled up toward her chest. The curves of her from this view were as captivating as the opposite view. Ron had studied Hermione's bum for several years, always marveling at how good it looked when she wore regular clothes. But here he could see that it was beyond good, it was quite perfect in his opinion.

He continued to gaze and felt his mouth go a bit dry, then it started to water uncontrollably. Before he knew it, Ron was salivating at an alarming rate, even swallowing was difficult. He was so concentrating on the battle between dirty thoughts and trying to swallow that he didn't hear Harry's footsteps come down the hall from the kitchen. He also felt like he had a lead pipe between his legs.

"Ron?" Harry whispered. Then Ron heard him say quietly, "Bloody hell..."

Ron knew that Harry was referring to the signt of their scantilly-dressed, brilliant, beautiful, sleeping friend.

Just at that moment Ron's mouth had watered to the point that he could not swallow and he began to choke on his own saliva. He tried to breathe in but just sucked in down the wrong pipe and started coughing in a fit loud enough to wake half of London.

As he sat up on his knees to try and gain composure, he glanced over to see Hermione hastily pulling her blanket up over her, clearly aware of her half-naked self and the presence of her two best friends. She was incredibly embarrased and Ron could practically feel the heat radiating off of her.

Harry whispered out to Ron again, "Ron are you okay?"

Ron had contained his coughing, "Yeah Harry, just the dust in here I guess."

"Oh, okay then, I'm off to the Ministry. I'll be back by noon. I want to get there early to see the morning flow."

"Yeah, sounds like a good idea." Ron whispered back to him.

"Harry be careful." Hermione said quietly.

"Oh, yeah, I will, er, thanks." Harry replied awkwardly.

_Little perve, he's thinking about her perfect bum._ Ron recognized Harry' tone as the tone of a teenage boy who had his mind on something randy and he scowled. He didn't think Harry had the same kind of thoughts about Hermione as Ron himself had. But it would be hard to imagine any bloke not to have a reaction to the sight of her this morning. While Ron knew that Harry had an attraction to Ginny, he was also aware that he and Harry were about to spend an undetermined amount of time alone with Hermione, two teenage boys and one very attractive teenage girl. It was not entirely irrational to think that Harry would think about her _like that_ every now and then, especially when she was layed out on display like this morning.

"Ron are you okay? Do you want me to get you a glass of water?" Hermione asked him quietly.

Ron felt like a prat. He had just spent the past half hour leering at her and now she wanted to get him a glass of water. He supposed that was why he was so in love with her.

"Oh, it's okay, I'm fine now. Thanks though." he replied in that randy teenage boy tone he knew so well.

He chanced a glance over to her and saw that she had pulled her blanket all the way up to her chin and was facing toward him again, her big brown eyes were staring right at him.

"I meant to get up before you two this morning to get some research done before Harry left." she said almost defensively.

"Oh yeah?" Ron wasn't sure what to say next. "Well, it's okay to have a lie in every once in a while." _Hey, that was not bad_, he thought.

"Yeah, it is." she said absently and then she reached down to the floor to grab her pajama bottoms and although he closed his own eyes he opened them just slight enough to see her try to wiggle into her pants under her blanket. She seemed to have success with it and when she was all done she kicked the blanket off again and gave a big sigh, she seemed a bit put out.

"Everything alright?" he asked her.

"No, not really." she replied. "I'm going to get you that glass of water."

She walked out of the sitting room and down the hall. She came back in less than a minute and placed the glass on the coffee table near his head.

"Here, it's here if you need it." she told him. "I'll be in the kitchen looking over some stuff there so you can get back to sleep."

"Thanks." he said.

He watched her move back toward her sleeping spot, she stretched a little and then undid and then rebraided her hair, which sent the blood rushing back to his manhood again. Then she picked up a few books, some notes and padded off toward the kitchen.

Ron wondered if it would be too risky to take care of his own business here in the sitting room or should he go to the bathroom. He decided to go for it here, he could still recreate her sillouette over across from him if he focused hard enough.

After his self-service experience, Ron was able to fall asleep easily and slept a good two hours straight before waking up to sunlight streaming in through the sitting room windows. It was hotter than ever now and Ron was soaked with sweat. He took a quick, cold shower and found Hermione sitting in the kitchen, with books and notes spread out around her. She wasn't reading any of the books or notes on the table though, she was reading a novel.

"Wuthering Heights?" Ron asked as he bent over to read the spine of the book.

She looked up and blushed. "I'm just taking a break from my research." she confessed.

He nodded and helped himself to the food left out on the counter. Hermione kept her head hidden behind the book and Ron was feeling a bit guilty about what had happened earlier this morning. He didn't want her to think that he was a pervy git, but he knew that when it came to her, he quite frequently was a pervy git. He worried that this whole journey together could actually ruin her thoughts about him, if she got to see what he was really like, would she want to have anything to do with him? The thought terrified him.

"Ron?" she said in a troubled tone.

"Yeah?" he gulped.

"I'm sorry about this morning."

"What?" he asked confusedly.

"This morning, I'm sorry. I'm sorry about exposing myself to you and to Harry this morning. I was really hot last night and I thought I would wake up before you and have my clothes back on before you even rolled over but it didn't work out that way. Anyway, I'm sorry I know that was rather...indecent of me. I hope you don't think less of me." she said as she averted his eyes from his blank stare.

Ron swallowed his food and gulped, then replied,

"Hermione, it was not a big deal. I really don't want you to feel bad about it. Seriously, not a big deal at all. I mean I just saw you in a towel not two days ago!" he tried to sound casual so that she wouldn't feel so self-conscious.

She gave a half-laugh, "Yes, that is true."

They were quiet for a minute, "How's your leg by the way?" Ron asked.

"Oh it's good, thanks again for helping me."

"You're welcome." Ron smiled at her widely and she rolled her eyes and shook her head. He could have sworn that they were flirting.

Things were quiet for another minute as she pretended to read and he pushed food around his plate.

"So...it wasn't a big deal then?" she asked him.

He looked up at her and lightly shook his head from side to side, not sure what she was asking,

"Seeing you in your knickers this morning? No, it was not a big deal." he said and then cleared his throat, remembering the fact that he nearly choked himself to death drooling over her this morning.

She paused as if contemplating his answer, "So...not a big deal. But what about...?" she stopped.

"What?" he asked quickly, urging her to finish her question.

"Nevermind." she said.

"_What?_ I _hate_ when you do that!" he pouted.

"Do what?" she laughed out loud. "I don't _do_ anything."

"Just continue please." he said smiling. This was definitely flirting and he didn't want it to end.

She cleared her own throat. "Well...if it wasn't a big deal...then well... what was it?"

"Huh?" Ron was unsure about the question.

She rolled her eyes for real in frustration (not flirtateously) and sighed. It was a familiar pairing of behaviors she used toward Ron often. Then she looked right into his eyes and asked the question she had been meaning to ask.

"Did you like what you saw? Of me?"

There was so much vulnerability in her voice that Ron hardly knew how to respond. This wasn't a side of Hermione that he or Harry saw very often, if ever. She rarely cared what others thought of her, especially of her looks. How could he assure her that yes, he did indeed like what he saw without sounding like a slimey toad. If he said yes, she would know he had been peeking. Was this a trap? He started to panic and then remembered something his father once told him: _the truth shall set you free_. Sounded like a Muggle saying.

"Ron?" she said, sounding as if she were on the brink of tears. Clearly she thought his hesitation meant something bad.

"Yes." he said firmly.

"Yes what?" she needed clarity.

"Yes, I liked what I saw. Very much so." he added that second statement for emphasis.

She blushed and giggled shyly. "Ok, thanks. I'm glad to know that I don't send them running away screaming in horror." she said, trying to hide her discomfort of the whole situation with an attempt of self-deprication.

"Quite the opposite." Ron told her in a serious tone and stared right into her eyes intensely. He wanted to tell her that she was beautiful, incredible, _sexy_. But he was already eight shades of red and he felt a warmth in his heart that promised him there would be time to convince her of all that in due time.

She stared back at him with equal intensity and felt some of her insecurities melt away and she fell a little more deeply in love with this boy.


	3. Chapter 3

**I realize this is total fluff and stuff-but it's fun to write!**

For Hermione, to say that Kreacher was creepy would be an understatement. The little house elf who had served the Black family loyally for decades pushed her to challenge notions about the plight of elves to a breaking point. Kreacher had taken to positioning himself in hidden corners and glaring at her from a distance, startling her at best and sometimes causing her a mild heart attack. Once Kreacher had successfully rattled her, he would spit out a few offensive remarks and then slink away to busy himself with some domestic task. He was also keen on sneaking up and around corners on her as well. She would enter a room, settle into a chair with a book and from the shadow he would pop-it was maddening and made her already anxious self even jumpier.

As a result, Hermione began to search through any room she entered in hopes of not being caught entirely off her guard by a creeping Kreacher. She raided through base cabinets in the kitchen, behind drapes in sitting room and she especially made a point to thoroughly check the bathroom when she showered. Although she realized that, as an elf, he had the ability to appear anywhere at any time, he didn't really seem to have the will to make that much of an effort.

The day after the morning of Hermione's "indecent exposure", or as Ron secretly named it, "the best day of Ron's life," Ron found Hermione crouching and craning her neck to peek under a large armoire in the sitting room.

"What are you looking for?" Ron asked her with an amused smirk. He couldn't help but notice that her clothes were few and tight. The continued heat had driven them all to less attire and while Harry and Hermione complained bitterly, Ron was secretly enjoying the consequences of the heat.

"I'm checking for Kreacher." She said as she whipped up and redid her ponytail.

"Arrrgg! This hair!" she cried out in a frustrated yelp. "It's too hot for it, I should just whack it all off!" She grabbed her book and sat down in a huff on the sofa. Ron watched her and held back a snigger; she was adorable when she was agitated.

"Don't do that." He said simply.

"Do what?"

"Cut your hair. I like it…a lot." He said as he tried desperately not to blush.

"Oh, thanks." She replied. "I wouldn't really do that. I'm just annoyed."

He took a seat beside her, "Annoyed?" he asked.

"Yes…Kreacher." She said in an exasperated tone.

"What's he done now?" Ron asked warningly.

"He's taken to sneaking up on me and scaring the wits out of me any chance he gets." She told him.

"Oh yeah? Want me to smack him around?" Ron asked in a tone that implied he was more than willing to follow through.

She giggled, "No I don't want you to hurt him Ron!" she said sounding scandalized.

They both laughed, "We'll he'd deserve it. Slimy little git." Ron knew how to get her to laugh.

"Ron…" she said as she caught a fit of laughter, "don't make me laugh, it's too hot."

He grinned, "Too hot to laugh?"

"Yes." She asserted.

"You're barmy." He told her.

They were quiet for a bit.

"I'm sorry," he said solemnly, "for saying that-you're not barmy."

She looked up and smiled, "I know you're joking. It's okay Ron, I'm not offended."

He gave her a sheepish smile and watched as she stood and stretched.

"I'm going to go take a nap upstairs. Kreacher doesn't tend to sneak around as much up there." She declared.

Ron was a bit disappointed, he rather liked these moments with her when Harry was at the Ministry. They had this time together to talk, laugh, row, and flirt. It was the only good thing about being on the run and being away from his family. Harry had become so detached from everything except the task at hand- finding the Horcruxes, it was nice to have Hermione there for a bit of normalcy and happiness. Perhaps in a fit of panic, not wanting to lose even a minute of this precious time with her he blurted out,

"Mind if I join you?" followed by an enormous gulp.

Hermione was visibly startled by the request but she managed a response,

"Oh, no of course I don't mind." She replied quietly.

They started slowly walking out of the sitting room, she turned to him and said, "I'm just going to the bathroom to wash my face, I'll meet you in the blue room."

The blue room was where they had spent most of their time the summer between fourth and fifth year here at Grimmauld Place. The teens were often banished to the blue room, a large bedroom with two large beds, while the Order met and made their plans that summer. It was the only room upstairs where Hermione felt safe and comfortable enough for a nap. It was the only room where there was not a painting of a Black family member shouting offenses at her.

Ron felt his heart beating out of his chest as he walked up the stairs. _What was he thinking? Take a nap together? How would he manage that without losing his mind? _Ron made his way to the large bed on the far side of the room that was pushed up against the far wall and sat down. He wasn't sure if she planned to nap with him in the same bed or take the other bed. He wondered if he were better off waiting to see what she did first, then made a move to choose the other bed, or should he let her make the decision, but then again…

"Hey." She said as she entered the room and closed the door behind her. "I'm sorry I just don't want Kreacher sneaking in." she said as she locked the door behind her.

"Sure." Ron said nervously. _Why was he so nervous? Didn't they sleep right next to each other every night? _

Hermione made her way over to the bed and crawled up behind Ron, with her back facing the wall.

"Sorry I just like sleeping up against the wall if that's okay?" she said to him.

"Sure." Ron replied and then leaned over to take off his shoes. He noticed that Hermione's feet were bare, so were her legs, and her arms and shoulders. There was certainly a lot of skin exposure just to the left of him at this moment. It made his head dizzy and he thickly swallowed before asking her,

"Do you want me to kip in the other bed?"

"Why would I want that?" she replied smartly. God she was not going to make this easy!

Ron pulled his legs up to his front and scooted down lying flat on his back to stare at the ceiling. He brought one arm up behind his head and tried to just focus on being still. It wasn't easy for him, sleeping on his back was not comfortable for him. Ron chanced a look over toward Hermione and saw her eyes were fixed on his profile; it made him feel a bit self-conscious to have her looking at him from this close proximity. He wanted this to be more relaxed that he was making it, so he rolled over onto his own side to face her and gave her a smile,

"Hey." he said.

"Hey yourself." She said and blushed. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah, why?"

"You're kind of quiet." she sounded concerned.

"I'm fine."

Ron closed his eyes because looking right at her like this was making him a bit mental. He always thought that Hermione was rather pretty. But as she had grown up, he started to see that she was more than just pretty-she was quite beautiful. Her eyes were the perfect shade of brown and her eyelashes were so dark and long, looked like she was always wearing that stuff that Ginny put on her own eyes to make her barely-noticeable lashes look longer. He only knew about that stuff because when Ginny cried or got sweaty, she had black streaks raining down her cheeks- and so he had to ask. He didn't think Hermione needed to ever use that stuff. Her nose was perfectly shaped and tiny, unlike his own long and bony beak. Her cheeks were always rosy and pink, like she had just come in from the cold. He wondered if she used the pink powdery stuff he saw in Ginny's room for her cheeks-maybe? _But didn't she just wash her face? Did she put that stuff on after…?_

"Ron?" her voice pulled him out of his thought.

"Huh?"

She giggled, "What are you thinking so hard about?"

Damn! He must have had his "thinking face" on-wrinkled forehead and clinched jaw. She called that his "thinking face" on many occasions. At first he thought it was an insult, but then in fifth year she told him that it was "cute." It was one of the best days of fifth year.

"I'm just trying to fall asleep." he said and he opened one eye and realized that she had moved a bit closer to him and their faces were literally only inches apart.

"What are _you_ thinking about?" he asked her.

"I'm not thinking, I'm counting." she replied smartly.

"Counting? Counting what?" he asked with one raised eyebrow.

"Your freckles." she answered.

_"What?! No!"_ he cried out and pulled the pillow from under his head onto his face. A wave of hot embarrassment started in his chest and made its way up his neck all the way to the tip of his ears. He hated his freckles more than anything and here she was focusing intently on them. _Counting them! _

"Ron! Stop it!" she laughed out and tried to pull the pillow away from his face. "Why can't I count your freckles?"

"I _hate_ them." he said gruffly from under the pillow.

"Why?" she begged an answer. "How can you say that? I love them." she said with emotion.

The world sort of stopped moving for a moment as Ron registered what she just said. Hermione too felt a shift in the universe and she feared that she had just revealed something unintended. She pulled back from him and rolled over on her own back to stare up at the ceiling. Ron pulled the pillow away from his face and stared up at the ceiling as well.

"You love them?" he couldn't help but repeat the claim.

She giggled in an embarrassed kind of way and pulled her arm up over to cover her eyes. Then she managed to gain composure of her giggling.

"I'm sorry I said that if it made you uncomfortable." She told him in a serious tone. She really hadn't meant to make him uncomfortable.

"I'm not uncomfortable. Uh, thanks I guess." he croaked out. He felt a smile creep onto his face and chanced a glance over at her. She was peeking out at him from under her arm and once they made eye contact they both toppled into a laughing fit. Ron tried to keep his eyes fixed on her face but couldn't help but notice her chest bouncing as she laughed. He felt the fear again of her finding out how pervy his thoughts really were and how that would surely be his downfall. She must have noticed where his eyes fell because she stopped laughing instantly and said loudly,

"UH-hello! I'm up here!"

Ron's eyes quickly jumped up to meet hers and he felt his face blaze again. He was ready for a thrashing, so he gave her an apologetic look but realized that the expression on her face was not anger, it was amused. She held his gaze for a moment and then rolled her eyes with a tut,

"You are such a guy." she told him.

Confused about what this comment meant, he gave her a quizzical look.

"You know, you have breasts in your line of vision and your eyes automatically aim there-even when said breasts are mediocre." she ended her statement barely audible and looked away.

Ron was pretty speechless. First of all, he had never heard Hermione say the word "breasts" before. Secondly, she was speaking about her own-to him. Thirdly, she just admitted that she believed her own breasts to be merely mediocre, which was not how he saw things. It was quite a surreal moment.

Part of him thought to act offended and get angry at her accusation. That would be the typical way their interactions would go. One would say something to offend the other, the other would get angry and they would have a row. Then they would move on without apologizing and act as if things were normal. They seemed to have a new normal now though. A normal that allowed them to tease each other a bit more openly and without reprimand, more laughing and more explaining what the other meant.

"I'm sorry if I made _you_ uncomfortable then." Ron decided that an apology would be best. He knew he was looking, no need to deny it. But then he just recalled the words she just said.

"Wait, how do _you_ know what guys are like?" he asked her with a tone of curiosity.

She laughed, "Oh I suppose you don't think I have never noticed guys staring at my breasts before?"

"_Who?_" Ron asked her with more anger than even he expected.

She looked over at him a bit shocked at his response. He looked at her with inquiring eyes.

"Just guys-not many mind you-but some." she replied.

Ron knew he was in trouble then because the thought of anyone looking at her breasts made him want to punch a hole in the wall.

Hermione felt that she needed to change the direction of this conversation quickly, "Oh, and I've only been best friends with two guys for nearly six years! And do you think I haven't noticed you _and_ Harry gawking at any and every pair of breasts that passes through the corridors at Hogwarts!?"

"Not any and _every_ pair!" Ron retorted. "Not McGonagall's!"

"Ron!" she yelled out in an amused outrage and reached from under her head, pulled out her pillow and pummeled him in the stomach with it.

"_Oommf! Hey!_" Ron cried and grabbed his own pillow to take aim at her but Hermione had risen up on her knees and was kneeling over him in a better position to beat him several times over before he even got in one good shot at her torso. But this one shot sent her flying on her back and then he rose up to the knees to attack her then. They both laughed furiously and one didn't want to let the other get the upper hand. Every time Hermione managed to pull herself up to her knees again Ron would deal another blow that toppled her over.

"Not fair you're taller!" she cried out laughing.

"Height has nothing to do with it!" he laughed back.

The two of them continued for a minute longer before Ron lost his wits and simply tackled her around the waist and pushed her down on the bed, he snatched her pillow away from her and threw it across the bed out of her reach and then he pinned her hands up above her head as he hovered over her. He and Hermione had never played this way together and it was thrilling for him.

"Say I'm not like other guys." he told her grinning.

"What?" she asked incredulously as she tried to squirm out of his grip.

"Say I'm not like other guys-say it." he told her again but this time his face and tone were more serious than before.

Hermione was taken aback by his tone and his words.

"You're not like other guys Ron." she told him quietly.

Ron could feel the heat surging between the two of them and as much as he wanted to kiss her just then, he just didn't have the confidence to be sure that she would kiss him back. It was maddening-for both. As he continued to hold her hands pinned above her head he let his eyes rake down her torso and could see that her shirt was pulled way up exposing her smooth, flat belly. How much he wanted to do things to her!

His eyes trailed their way back up toward her face but stopped at her chest and he spoke directly to her breasts, "Your breasts are not mediocre." He told her without breaking eye contact with the breasts.

"What are they then?" she asked through heavy breaths.

"They're brilliant." He said smiling and when his eyes met hers she laughed loudly and he never heard a sound so wonderful in his life.

His wide grin morphed into a mischievous smirk as he pulled both of her arms down to her sides and kept them pinned there. She didn't resist at all. He trapped her thighs together with his own long legs and before she knew what was happening he lowered his head down toward her and blew an enormous raspberry into her belly. Hermione squealed and screamed in delight and laughter as he continued to hold her down and blow more.

"_Ron no! I'm really ticklish Ron! Please!_" she cried out.

He ignored her for a few seconds as he continued to blow, enjoying the sound of her laughter and the feel of her body trying to squiggle underneath his, but then he released her and bounced down onto his side right next to her.

"I've always wanted to do that!" he said with a look of satisfaction on his face.

Hermione was trying to recover from her laughing and she tugged her shirt down roughly.

"Idiot!" she scolded but she was still smiling.

Ron was smirking and quite pleased with himself. He managed to flatter her and engage in seriously intense physical play without getting himself into trouble.

"Ok, seriously, I came up her to take a nap and you are really distracting me." She said primly and she reached down grabbed her pillow and flopped onto her belly, scrunching the pillow up under her head.

"Oh, who started it by counting my freckles?!" he exclaimed.

She giggled, "Fair enough, ok, shhh, sleep now." Ron watched her close her eyes and try to change her focus to sleep. He pretended to close his own eyes but kept them slightly open enough to keep her within his sight. The last thing he remembered was how wonderful her skin tasted when he blew those raspberries on her belly and how her laughter made is head dizzy before nodding off to sleep…

Sometime later Ron awoke and felt the urge to go to the bathroom. As usual, it took him a few seconds after waking to realize his whereabouts and circumstances. He was lying on his back and he couldn't help but wonder if he was dreaming when he was fully aware that Hermione had rolled over to snuggle up close to him and had wrapped her arm around his torso and her leg was draped over his midsection. It reminded him of a picture he once saw of a Koala bear wrapped around a tree and the thought made him smile but he continued to believe that this was but a dream.

It was only when he heard her sigh a very contented sigh and felt her body rise and fall next to him that he realized he was not living a dream, this was real. He took a moment to relish in the feel of her next to him and this then led to less innocent thoughts about her body and his body-so close. He allowed his hand to reach down and fall on her bare leg just to the side of her leg and tucked his hand in the warm, soft crease behind her knee. He wondered how her skin could feel so soft and smooth. True that he had little experience touching girls, but the texture of her skin almost seemed too wonderful to be true. He tugged on her leg a bit bringing it up higher to bring the pressure of it off of his abdomen; he really did have to go to the bathroom-and soon! _Damn bladder. _

"Hey." Ron whispered and jiggled his hand on her leg. No response.

"Hey, Hermione." he whispered again and gave another jiggle. No response.

He had to chuckle at the situation they were in. If his 13 year old self could see him now!

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty?" Ron tried a third time and gave her a much more prominent shake. Hermione groaned and started to move a bit.

"What?" she said sleepily. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times as she took note of her position.

"Oh! I'm sorry Ron!" she quickly shuffled to the other side of the bed. Ron's heart fell as he felt the warmth of her body slide away from him.

"Sorry?" he asked.

"Yes, sorry for climbing up on you like that." she said in an embarrassed tone.

"Oh, I didn't mind I just…I need to use the loo." He told her as he stood up from the bed.

Hermione watched him with wide eyes and he noticed that the blush in her cheeks from sleeping deepened with the discovery that she'd been cuddled up next to him in her sleep. It was lovely.

"Be right back." he whispered, trying to will her not to abandon this naptime experience.

Hermione scolded herself for being so forward with Ron. _What must he think of me now_?

She rolled over to face the wall in an effort to avoid further embarrassing herself in front of him. There was no way she was going back to sleep now but she didn't want to leave the room either. After a few moments she heard the door open again slowly and she didn't turn around, she just pretended to have fallen back to sleep.

Ron saw her curled up facing the wall and his hopes fell a little. He wasn't sure what he was hoping for when he returned. Something in him urged him to give her some kind of sign that he was, indeed, happy that she felt so comfortable to be so close to him. He wanted to let her know that she was safe with him and that he would always be there to protect her. Biting his lower lip in determination he slid all the way over to her and pulled her body into the curve of his own. It was a gigantic act. In one motion he pulled her back to his chest, her backside into his belly and let his legs contort around the curve of her own. His right arm wrapped firmly around her waist in a gesture of protection and warmth.

Hermione almost yelped when she felt Ron's strong grip on her waist and the feel of him against her body. She felt his breath near her ear and felt a bit self-conscious about having him so close to her. She hoped her hair wasn't itching his face! She reached up carefully to pull it all to one side and tucked it under one side of her head. Ron's lips were somewhere very close to the side of her face then.

"Is this okay?" he asked timidly.

"Mmmhmm" she murmured in affirmation.

They were quiet for a moment before Hermione spoke,

"Did you call me Sleeping Beauty before?" she asked.

"Oh, uh, yeah I guess I did." He replied.

"How do you know about Sleeping Beauty? It's a Muggle fairy tale." She was curious.

"Dad used to read it to Ginny when she was little." He replied.

"Oh." She said quietly.

She let herself sink back into him further and took his hand in hers to pull his arm tighter around her body. They both drifted into a sleepy daze, neither wanting to fall asleep fully, neither wanting the moment to end.


End file.
